boat trailer

[Bodyman]

I'm looking to upgrade to a more user friendly boat trailer. I have a 16'mirrocraft v-bottom and would like one that I can drive onto. Any idea's on which ones are the easiest loading? What about rollers or bunk type?

[Snowking]

i have the bunk style. love it will never go back to the roller style.

[Surface Tension]

I have a V-bottom with a roller trailer. Rolls on and off with ease. Drive-on's are some times very entertaining at landing's

[Big Bobber]

I have a V-bottom with a roller trailer. Load with ease. I added guide-ons on the rear of the trailer. A little trick is not to back the trailer too far into the water. Just have the first rear roller covered with water. Have never had a problem loading the boat even in high wind conditions.

[AWH]

I have a bunk trailer, and if I had to do it over again, I would definitely go bunk.

One thing you want to consider is the type of landings that you use. If you use a lot of shallow landings, I would go with a roller. Otherwise, I would go bunk. I have never owned a roller trailer, but from everything I hear, bunks are a lot easier to load, especially driving on. Rollers tend to be a little easier to unload.

One thing that I've done that I would recommend on a bunk trailer is to spray the bunks with silicone. I'm still experimenting with just how much to spray on. I spray them a little more each time I get a chance. But since I've sprayed them, not only will the boat slide off the trailer easier in shallower water. But it also loads easier. If you drive on the trailer and you're off center a bit, just back off on the gas and the boat will slide back and basically center itself. Then power it up on the trailer. Go easy on the speed though, with the silicone the boat goes on with a lot more ease. Depending on how much silicone you use, you may have to keep the outboard in gear until you get it latched to the trailer. Otherwise it may slide back off the trailer just like rollers would. It's only necessary to back the trailer in so that the back of bunks are just barely underwater. The majority of the bunks should be out of the water.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

AWH

[This message has been edited by AWH (edited 05-08-2002).]

[hydro]

Here's a couple of things to ponder:

A roller trailer is easy to push the boat off of, especially at shallow landings. If you put sturdy side guides on it they are easy to drive on to, however on a steep landing the boat wants to roll back off. An added advantage is that it is easy to winch the boat up when the landing is too shallow to drive the boat up onto the trailer.

The major disadvantage is that if you put a lot of miles on, the rollers will stress the bottom at the points of contact and eventually cause stress cracking. This is VERY difficult to repair.

A bunk trailer on the other hand will support the bottom of the boat over a large area and generally take better care of the hull. They can be frustrating in a shallow landing where you will quickly realize just how heavy your boat really is. Another thing to watch with drive on trailers is that at most landings there is a hole about a trailer length out, with a big pile of rocks and sand just behind that. You can make a mess of your prop if you try to drive onto the trailer through that rockpile.

[Bodyman]

thanks for the info. The idea of having guides is something I'll look for if I go with the roller trailer. I'm just tired of walking the tounge or getting my feet wet at the landing while loading.

[Biggestfish]

Besides the small point that Hydro had about a bunk trailer supporting the boat a little better and bunks are a better for fiberglass boats... BTW my father has hauled his Lund boat up and around 2 different counties for 25 years on a roller trailer and there is no damage to the boat. Not trying to start a fight with anyone... If you like your bunk trailer great, But the is no way a bunk trailer loads or unloads easier than a roller trailer. Now I am talking about the average 14 to 18ft fishing/sport boat, I would have to guess at some point a boat would get to big to be on rollers.

------------------
Just Having Fun!
Love to Fish.

[bigeyes]

You can't beat a roller especially in MN/Canada were so many of the landings are shallow. I drive mine up evertime no problem and no guides. As stated above you must keep that trailer up so that the last rollers are just breaking the water.

[Fathead]

Hello all,

Not to make light of this thread, but this topic of roller vs bunk preference is kind of like asking the question...

Do you like Tiller or console boats better? It will always come down to what you are familiar with, and your past and present experiences with these products.

For the record, ROLLERS RULE! (just kidding)

[Bodyman]

bigeyes, what brand trailer do you have? I'm looking at shorelander right now.

[Big Bobber]

I have s Shorland'r roller trailer and just love it. A friend that I work with has a Yachtclub trailer. We have identical boats. He has no end of trouble with it. The most important thing is to match the trailer to your boat. Don't try to get by with an undersized trailer. Also, be sure to secure the boat well to the trailer. Invest in a good pair of transom tie downs and you should have no problem. You should have no problems with stress on the bottom of the boat if it is not allowed to bounce on the trailer. Same thing with a boat cover. Just make sure that is secured well and you will never have a problem. I had extra tie downs sewed onto my cover and it never moves even at 70 MPH. My vote is still for a Shorland'r roller trailer, but anyway you can haul a boat to a lake is a good thing, because you are at least going fishing! Good luck with your decision.

[Surface Tension]

Bodyman do you know Frig?

[Bodyman]

Surface Tension, Being a Cheese Head I know the fridge, but would like to forget him. Frig? nope I don't think so.